Peter,
Having worked at NIH, Elizabeth Laver (seven years) and I (six years)
were able to generate an honest 80% + survival through very careful
accounting and record keeping. Others may claim higher but do not have
the records to support this evidence. This survival success was done in
the absence of rotifers, an essentially unnecessary step. AZ 100
(discontinued) and BioKyowa A and B (discontinued too based on hear say
in the US... but I'll bet you can still get it in Canada) was the
powdered fry feed of choice up until about day 30-45 with a slow wean to
a 3:1 Tetrimine flake: dried frill mill. At day 10 we introduced some
really expensive Artemia cysts that produces small naupliar hatch. I.E
easy ingestion by tiny mouths.
If the water parameters were OK, breeding was ideal at 4 months with 15
fish in a 2L MBI tank. Under these conditions we have had 4+ year old
zebrafish breed and produce viable embryos.
Our diet worked very well.
Maybe Dallas could shed some light on how to do such a proposed
nutritional study considering we all use one of three (or more)
manufactured systems. Please account for the variability in flow rates
which accounts for the tank's water exchange and the subsequent removal
of feed. At the moment we are all pretty much feeding the tank and the
system and the fish are able to eat a portion of that delivered. Look in
your sump and you'll see the results. Our best feeding results
correlating to high fecundity came from multiple feedings across the
day of a variety of nutritional sources.
What impact does adding leutine pigment to the diet have on the fish?
I agree a nutritional study is important but better would be access to
reliable and consistent supply of a fry feed.
Best of luck,
Mike
On Oct 28, 2004, at 11:52 AM, , Dallas at hgmp.mrc.ac.uk,
E.Weaver at hgmp.mrc.ac.uk, Ph.D. wrote:
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
---
>> Peter,
>> It is interesting that the ZM web site states that their diets are good
for 6 to 9 months when most of the high quality commercial aquaculture
diets seem to be 3 months shelf life. Notice, they also recommend
rotifers for the first 10 days.
>> I also find it interesting that zebra fish are a major research animal
where the NIH and others are spending a lot of money on research and
there
> is no basic dietary information. We know far more about the dietary
requirements of all aquaculture species and most "want to be"
> aquaculture
> species.
>> Everyone is making an assumption that the dietary history of the animal
won't impact the research results. However, we do know that diet does
impact fecundity, fertility and larva viability on zebra fish. just
like
> other species of fish/shrimp.
>> I know my diets for zebra fish are an educated guess at the nutritional
requirements and not optimal, just workable. I do know that diets age
will impact fertility and that leutine pigment in the diet will make
the
> males easier to sex (yellow fins).
>> If you do a literature search on zebra nutrition, about the only relevant
> things you come up with is some work on Boron and the work by Landon on
larval diets. This is relative to journals devoted to fish/shrimp
nutrition for all other species.
>> I believe that it is time for NIH to step up and fund some actual
nutritional research on this animal. There are a lot of good
> aquaculture
> nutritional researchers who have worked out the details on other species
> that could do the job, but they are part of aquaculture research not
normal NIH researchers.
>>> Dallas
>> in article clk6mm$nm2$1 at mercury.rfcgr.mrc.ac.uk, Peter Cattin at
p.cattin at auckland.ac.nz wrote on 10/25/04 5:45 PM:
>>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
----
>>>>> Hi Sharon,
>>>>>> I have spent a lot of time reviewing feeds over the past 6 years. I
>> have not been able to source feed from BioKyowa for a number of years
> but a better alternative is ZM Ltd in the UK who make a feed
>> specifically for zebrafish. Their website is
>> www.zmsystems.demon.co.uk
> . Speak to Rohan there and I am sure you will be pleased with the
product. You will need
>> ZM
>>> 200 and 300 for the juveniles and adults respectively and ZM 000 for
the
>> fry. Artemia International at www.artemia-international.com/ is
> excellent as a source of Artemia.
>>>>>> Regards,
>>>>>> Peter
>>> Cattin, Peter PhD
>>> School of Biological Sciences
>>> The University of Auckland
>>> New Zealand
>>> phone: +64-9-373-7599 xtn 87119
>>> fax: +64-9-373-7417
>>>>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: "Sharon Amacher" <amacher at berkeley.edu>
>>> Newsgroups: bionet.organisms.zebrafish
>>> To: <>
>>> Sent: Friday, January 23, 2004 6:09 AM
>>> Subject: Looking for supplier
>>>>>>>>>>>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
>>>> Dear Zebrafish community,
>>>>>>>> We are looking for a supplier of BioKyowa Fry Food (or an
>>>> alternative
>> dry
>>>> food) to supplement the diet of our baby fish. BioKyowa, Inc. in
>> Missouri
>>>> is not longer selling this food (or is out of business). Thanks in
>> advice
>>>> for any help and advice.
>>>>>>>> Sharon Amacher
>>>>>>>> --
>>>> ***********************************************
>>>> Sharon L. Amacher
>>>> Assistant Professor of Genetics and Development
>>>> Department of Molecular and Cell Biology
>>>> 555 Life Sciences Addition #3200
>>>> University of California, Berkeley
>>>> Berkeley, CA 94720-3200
>>>>>>>> Office: (510) 643-1608
>>>> Lab: (510) 643-1737
>>>> FAX: (510) 642-0355
>>>>amacher at berkeley.edu (NOTE NEW EMAIL ADDRESS)
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ---
>>>> ---
>>Michael C. Kacergis
U Mass Medical
Program in Gene Function and Expression (PGFE)
364 Plantation St.
LRB 670Q
Worcester, MA 01605
email: Michael.Kacergis at Umassmed.edu
(508) 856-2605 LAB
(508) 856-5460 FAX